No clue of missing IAF plane, satellite imagery sought

July 24, 2016

Chennai, Jul 24: As the arduous operation to trace the IAF's missing AN32 aircraft with 29 people on board stretched into the third day today, the search and rescue team is now seeking satellite imagery to find any clue of the plane that lost contact over the Bay of Bengal.antonov-an32-cline
"There is no sign of the plane as yet," a senior defence official said.

At least 18 navy and coast guard ships including a submarine, and eight aircraft like P 81, C 130 and Dorniers are involved in the round the clock operation to search for the Port Blair-bound transport plane which went missing after it took off from the Tambaram air base near Chennai at 8.30 AM on July 22.

Inclement weather was posing a major challenge in the operation. The authorities are now seeking satellite imagery of the area.

"The search operation is continuing on a 24-hour basis and all resources at disposal are being used.

"We have also sought satellite information," Eastern Naval Command chief Vice Admiral HCS Bisht said in Vishakhapatnam.

"The depth of water there is about 3,500 metres and in some place it is even more. As the depth increases, challenges also increase," he said, adding that the weather was rough and it was raining.

He said the family members are being updated on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, airforce authorities have lodged a formal complaint with Tamil Nadu police over the missing AN-32 aircraft.

"We have received a complaint that Air Force's AN-32 transport aircraft has gone missing," a senior police official said today.

"The complaint was lodged last night with Selaiyur police," he said.

"The complaint says that 29 personnel on board AN-32 and the aircraft have gone missing. Among the missing personnel is one person from Tamil Nadu," the official told PTI.

The complaint has been lodged for legal purposes. A similar complaint was filed when Coast Guard's Dornier aircraft went missing last year. The wreckage of the CG Dornier aircraft and bodies of its crew were later found off Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu.

The Russian-made workhorse made the last radio contact at 0846 hours, 16 minutes after take off, on Friday.

Worries mounted for the authorities as time was running out and no positive signals emerged from the operations.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday undertook an aerial survey to personally monitor the search and rescue operations.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday undertook an aerial survey to personally monitor the search and rescue operations.

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February 21,2020

Pune/Mumbai, Feb 21: A BJP youth wing leader from Pune on Thursday submitted a complaint application to the police against AIMIM leader Waris Pathan for his controversial remarks made recently in Karnataka.

Pathan has claimed he has been quoted out of context.

Parismal Deshpande, a BJYM worker, submitted the written application at the Deccan Gymkhana police station, demading action against Pathan for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups and outraging religious feelings of a community.

Deshpande, in his complaint stated, that Pathan reportedly said "15 crore hai lekin 100 crore pe bhari hai' (We are 15 crore but we can dominate 100 crore).

"The statement by Pathan promotes violence and create a divide between two communities.

"Because of such statements, there are possibilities of atmosphere getting vitiated. Hence, he should be booked under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups, 295A (outraging religious feelings), and 504 (provoking breach of the peace)," Deshpande said in the complaint.

An officer from the Deccan police station confirmed receiving the application.

Meanwhile, in Mumbai, the BJP slammed Pathan.

The saffron party on Thursday tweeted @BJP4Maharashtra saying, "Waris Pathan, who are you threatening to? Shiv Sena led government may tolerate your comments; but BJP and people of Maharashtra will teach you a lesson that your hate- mongering speeches will be shut."

However, Pathan has issued a statement to the media, saying he has been quoted out of context.

"I hereby wish to state that the media reports on TV channels showing my statement made in the public meeting at Gulbarga five days back have totally quoted me out of context," Pathan claimed on late Thursday evening.

"I wish to reiterate that I can never say anything intentionally or unintentionally that hurts the sentiments of any caste, community or gender. I am a proud Indian and respects the plurality of this country," he said.

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News Network
May 25,2020

New Delhi, May 25: Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra on Monday said lockdown extensions are not just economically disastrous but also create another medical crisis.

While acknowledging that choices are not easy for policymakers, he said a lockdown extension will not help.

"Lockdown extensions aren't just economically disastrous, as I had tweeted earlier, but also create another medical crisis," Mahindra said in a tweet.

He was referring to an article that highlighted "the dangerous psychological effects of lockdowns & the huge risk of neglecting non-COVID patients".

Mahindra, who had earlier proposed a comprehensive lifting after 49 days of lockdown, further said, "The choices aren't easy for policy makers but a lockdown extension won't help".

He said, "The numbers (coronavirus cases) will continue to rise & the focus must be on rapid expansion of field hospital beds with oxygen lines".

He further said, "The army has enormous expertise in this".

On March 22, before the government announced nationwide lockdown, Mahindra had proposed such a move expressing concerns over reports that India was likely to have already reached stage 3 of coronavirus transmission.

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News Network
January 27,2020

Jan 27: Bollywood Film Director Anurag Kashyap, who has been vocal about his political views on social media, slammed Union Minister Amit Shah and accused him of being 'cheap'.

"How timid our Home Minister is. Its own police, its own goons, its own army and security increases and invades unarmed protestors. Amit Shah has crossed the extent of cheapness and inferiority. History will spit on this animal," Kashyap tweeted.

The film director has taken an active part in the anti-Citizenship Act protest rallies and was against the Jawaharlal Nehru violence. He also came in support of his contemporary Deepika Padukone when the latter faced backlash for showing up at JNU in support of the students.

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